Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Dumanjug mayor to seek league help on COA’s rulling
Dumanjug Mayor Cesar Baricuatro will raise before the Cebu mayors’ league the issue on the Commission on Audit’s (COA) disallowance of the honorarium that 19 towns have given members of their respective bids and awards committee (BAC).
Baricuatro, who is also auditor of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines Cebu chapter, said they released the honorarium based on a written instruction from the Department of Interior and Local Government.
“I was informed by members of our BAC that it is authorized, otherwise, we would not have released it because it is government fund,” said Baricuatro, who visited the Provincial Capitol yesterday.
He also said he does “not remember” seeing the new guidelines that COA has been talking about in the audit reports that asked the towns to refund the whole amount they released.
“I don’t know if we received the guidelines, but I don’t remember seeing it,” he said.
Baricuatro is also sure other mayors have similar reasons.
But another mayor, who requested not to be named, said his town initially gave the honorarium last year, but stopped because of the guidelines.
They continued giving the honorarium now, said the mayor, but they are already following the ceiling imposed by the guidelines.
A circular issued in March last year says the honorarium for BAC members can be taken only from the collection from sales of bid forms and other documents.
Also, only 50 percent of the total collection can be made available as honorarium.
But the Commission on Audit asked 19 Cebu municipalities to refund the amount, which varied among them, because these were either sourced illegally or exceeded the limitation. (JPM)
(September 20, 2005 issue)
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